Why does a race car driver pull into the pits, or a truck driver leave the highway to visit a truck stop? The Mahaffie stagecoach stop offered similar services.
Need repairs or new tires? The federal census for 1865 lists a "R. Vickard" - occupation, blacksmith, living in the Mahaffie household. Not every farm had its own blacksmith shop, but the Mahaffie operation did because it was a stagecoach stop and travelers' way station. If your coach or wagon needs repairs, or your horses or oxen need their shoes tightened or replaced, Mr. Vickard can help you.
Need gas? Not in a stagecoach. But the horses are changed out for fresh animals.
Need something to eat? Lucinda serves fine meals in the cellar of the house. Better hurry.
Need a, well, a "comfort break?" No problem. The outhouse is the little white building off to your right, in a corner of the back yard. Please hurry - the coach will pull out in a few more minutes.
The site's blacksmith shop is a reproduction, built several years ago. It is not a precise replica of an original building. Instead, it serves as a working shop in which to demonstrate the tasks of the blacksmith. The location of the original Mahaffie shop has yet to be determined through archaeological excavation.
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